Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker, was en route to Germany on Thursday to participate in the Munich Security Conference as a new member of the advisory council.
“Nearly one year since Putin’s diabolical invasion of Ukraine, the world remains in awe of the courage and heroism of the Ukrainian people,” Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement. “This year’s Munich Security Conference convenes world leaders at a critical moment to reaffirm our unshakeable unity in supporting the fight for freedom in Ukraine.”
Pelosi will be joining Vice President Kamala Harris, who will be headlining the United States’ participation in the conference. Harris arrived Thursday morning in Munich, where she was greeted by Minister-President of Bavaria Markus Söder.
The U.S. delegation is expected to be the largest in its 60-year history. The special feature of the conference will include a tribute and awards ceremony dedicated to the late Sen. John McCain.
The conference will take place from Feb. 17-19, and world leaders are expected to cover pressing international security issues, the war on Ukraine, and global and systemic challenges.
The Munich Security Report, which was released on Feb. 13, includes “exclusive data and graphics on current security policy issues,” and hones in on authoritarian regimes on the global platform as highlighted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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The Munich conference comes as tensions between China and the U.S. remain high. Wang Yi, the Chinese Communist Party foreign policy chief, as well as Secretary of State Antony Blinken, will both be at the conference.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a condemnation of the U.S. Thursday, reiterating that the route of the Chinese aircraft into U.S. territory was unintentional. The Chinese surveillance balloon has continued to be at the forefront of conversations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.